Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Back in August last year, my clutch slave sprung a leak. It happened after I topped off the fluid - maybe the new fluid reacted with the old and eroded the seals? Perhaps some sediment got forced through the system?

Replacing the slave cylinder seals was a pretty straightforward task. The hardest part was getting the right rebuild kit: there are two cylinder bore sizes common to Amazons - 3/4" and 13/16". Both are available from Swedish Treasures.

I ended up ordering the wrong kit the first time around. Lesson learned: I should have removed the slave and measured the bore before ordering parts.

About

The stalwart 122S "Amazon," produced between 1956 and 1970, went a long way in establishing Volvo's reputation for safety and reliability. I was looking for an 1800 when I saw the classified ad for my Amazon, but decided to take a chance, and have since fallen in love with designer Jan Wilsgaard's Nordic-Modern take on classic Detroit, not to mention the car's bulletproof reliability and often mind-boggling simplicity. I bought my 120 from its original owner, who lovingly drove it for 580,000 miles before handing the keys over to me. Any car that can survive half a century and half a million miles of abuse is all right in my book, and worthy of some TLC -- or at least a low budget restoration.